by Daniel Gallio

Michael Zuelch, left, Javier Hoyos-Huaman and Craig Giera hoist a bin of socks donated to the Christmas "sock drive" organized by their fellow third-year theology seminarians.

A few years before "Robert" (he wants to remain anonymous) entered Sacred Heart Major Seminary, a homeless man approached him and asked for money. Robert reached for his pockets but then stopped.

"What do you really need?" he asked the man.

"I want socks," the man answered.

And so, Robert brought the man socks, and more than once. At one point, the man apologized for requesting so many.

"I keep giving them to my friends. They need them, too."

A recent cold snap in southeastern Michigan, along with seeing so many needy people on the streets, reminded Robert of this incident. "Maybe we should do something about it," he thought.

Robert approached his fellow third-year theology classmates and proposed a "sock drive" as a class charitable outreach for the Christmas holidays. An email went out the Sacred Heart community inviting donations, and a plastic bin called The Sock Box was placed near the mail room to hold whatever socks came in.

The theologians even came up with a slogan: "Keepin' the feet dry and fine in 2009."

To Robert and his classmates' surprise, the Sacred Heart community responded by filling three bins with donations during the short three-week drive leading up to finals week. One anonymous donor even contributed 200 pairs of socks. Others beyond the Sacred Heart community heard about the drive and contributed, too.

The seminarians divided up the socks and donated them to two charities that prepare Christmas packages for the disadvantaged: a ministry sponsored by St. Gregory Parish in Detroit, and Crossroads, a Detroit social service agency where many of the undergraduate seminarians perform their pastoral training. The socks were accepted with gratitude.